Electrical connector system

Abstract

A bridge connector system includes a housing having one or more chambers, one or more connectors held in the corresponding chambers, one or more bridge connectors received in the corresponding chambers and electrically connected to the corresponding connectors, and one or more harness connectors coupled to the housing and being electrically connected to the corresponding bridge connectors. The bridge connectors electrically connect the harness connectors with the connectors.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 a board connector configured to be coupled to a control circuit board of a control module, the board connector including a board connector housing holding a plurality of board contacts, each board contact including a mating end and a terminating end, the terminating end configured to be coupled to the control circuit board, the mating end including a receptacle; and 
 a bridge connector coupled to the board connector, the bridge connector configured to be coupled to a harness connector, the bridge connector including a bridge holder including terminal channels, the bridge connector including bridge terminals received in corresponding terminal channels, each bridge terminal including a harness mating pin and at least one board mating pin opposite the harness mating pin, the board mating pins of the bridge terminals being received in receptacles of the corresponding board contacts, wherein all of the board mating pins in the bridge connector are of a common size, and wherein at least two of the harness mating pins in the bridge connector are of different sizes. 
 
     
     
       2. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein all of the board contacts are identical. 
     
     
       3. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the number of board mating pins per bridge terminal corresponds to the size of the harness mating pin of the corresponding bridge terminal. 
     
     
       4. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bridge terminals include a first bridge terminal and a second bridge terminal, the first bridge terminal including a single harness mating pin and a single board mating pin, the second bridge terminal including a single harness mating pin and a pair of the board mating pins. 
     
     
       5. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the bridge terminals include a third bridge terminal, the third bridge terminal including a single harness mating pin and three of the board mating pins. 
     
     
       6. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the second bridge terminal is configured to convey higher current than the first bridge terminal. 
     
     
       7. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the first bridge terminal is electrically connected to a single board contact and the second bridge terminal is electrically connected to two of the board contacts. 
     
     
       8. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the harness mating pin of the first bridge terminal has a first width and the harness mating pin of the second bridge terminal has a second width greater than the first width. 
     
     
       9. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bridge terminal is a stamped terminal. 
     
     
       10. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bridge terminal is planar having a first side and a second side, the harness mating pin being coplanar with the at least one board mating pins. 
     
     
       11. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bridge connector includes M number of bridge terminals and the board connector includes N number of board contacts greater than the M number of bridge terminals. 
     
     
       12. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 a first board connector configured to be coupled to a control circuit board of a control module, the first board connector including a first board connector housing holding a plurality of first board contacts, each first board contact including a first mating end and a first terminating end, the first terminating end configured to be coupled to the control circuit board, the first mating end including a first receptacle, wherein the first board connector has a first upper board connector interface defined by the first mating ends and a first lower board connector interface defined by the first terminating ends; 
 a second board connector configured to be coupled to the control circuit board of the control module, the second board connector including a second board connector housing holding a plurality of second board contacts, each second board contact including a second mating end and a second terminating end, the second terminating end configured to be coupled to the control circuit board, the second mating end including a second receptacle, wherein the second board connector has a second upper board connector interface defined by the second mating ends identical to the first upper board connector interface and a second lower board connector interface defined by the second terminating ends identical to the first lower board connector interface; 
 a first bridge connector coupled to the first board connector, the first bridge connector configured to be coupled to a first harness connector, the first bridge connector including a first bridge holder including first terminal channels, the first bridge connector including first bridge terminals received in corresponding first terminal channels, each first bridge terminal including a first harness mating pin and at least one first board mating pin opposite the first harness mating pin, the first board mating pins of the first bridge terminals being received in first receptacles of the corresponding first board contacts, wherein the first bridge connector has a first upper bridge connector interface defined by the first harness mating pins and a first lower bridge connector interface defined by the first board mating pins; and 
 a second bridge connector coupled to the second board connector, the second bridge connector configured to be coupled to a second harness connector, the second bridge connector including a second bridge holder including second terminal channels, the second bridge connector including second bridge terminals received in corresponding second terminal channels, each second bridge terminal including a second harness mating pin and at least one second board mating pin opposite the second harness mating pin, the second board mating pins of the second bridge terminals being received in second receptacles of the corresponding second board contacts, wherein the second bridge connector has a second upper bridge connector interface defined by the second harness mating pins different from the first upper bridge connector interface and a second lower bridge connector interface defined by the second board mating pins different from the first lower bridge connector interface. 
 
     
     
       13. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the second bridge connector has a different number of second harness mating pins at the second upper bridge connector interface compared to the number of first harness mating pins at the first upper bridge connector interface, and wherein the second bridge connector has a different number of second board mating pins at the second lower bridge connector interface compared to the number of first board mating pins at the first lower bridge connector interface. 
     
     
       14. The electrical connector assembly of  claim 12 , wherein all of the first board mating pins in the first bridge connector are of a common size and all of the second board mating pins in the second bridge connector are of a common size, and wherein at least two of the first harness mating pins in the first bridge connector are of different sizes and at least two of the second harness mating pins in the second bridge connector are of different sizes. 
     
     
       15. An electrical connector system comprising:
 an outer housing including a base forming an inner chamber, the outer housing including a shroud extending from the base, the shroud forming a shroud chamber open to the inner chamber, the shroud chamber configured to receive a harness connector; 
 a control circuit board received in the inner chamber; and 
 an electrical connector assembly received in the shroud chamber and coupled to the control circuit board, the electrical connector assembly configured to electrically connect the control circuit board and the harness connector, the electrical connector assembly including a board connector electrically connected to the control circuit board and a bridge connector electrically connected to the board connector, the board connector including a board connector housing holding a plurality of board contacts, each board contact including a mating end and a terminating end, the terminating end coupled to the control circuit board, the mating end including a receptacle, the bridge connector including a bridge holder including terminal channels, the bridge connector including bridge terminals received in corresponding terminal channels, each bridge terminal including a harness mating pin and at least one board mating pin opposite the harness mating pin, the harness mating pins configured to be electrically connected to the harness connector, the board mating pins of the bridge terminals being received in receptacles of the corresponding board contacts, wherein all of the board mating pins in the bridge connector are of a common size, and wherein at least two of the harness mating pins in the bridge connector are of different sizes. 
 
     
     
       16. The electrical connector system of  claim 15 , wherein the shroud is a first shroud, the outer housing including a second shroud, a second electrical connector assembly received in the second shroud chamber and coupled to the control circuit board, the electrical connector assembly configured to electrically connect the control circuit board with a second harness connector, the second electrical connector assembly including a second board connector electrically connected to the control circuit board and a second bridge connector electrically connected to the second board connector, the second board connector including a second board connector housing holding a plurality of second board contacts, the second bridge connector including a second bridge holder including second terminal channels, the second bridge connector including second bridge terminals received in corresponding second terminal channels, each second bridge terminal including a second harness mating pin and at least one second board mating pin opposite the second harness mating pin, the second harness mating pins configured to be electrically connected to the second harness connector, the second board mating pins of the second bridge terminals being mated with the corresponding second board contacts, wherein all of the second board mating pins in the second bridge connector are of a common size, and wherein at least two of the second harness mating pins in the second bridge connector are of different sizes. 
     
     
       17. The electrical connector system of  claim 15 , wherein all of the board contacts are identical. 
     
     
       18. The electrical connector system of  claim 15 , wherein the bridge terminals include a first bridge terminal and a second bridge terminal, the first bridge terminal including a single harness mating pin and a single board mating pin, the second bridge terminal including a single harness mating pin and a pair of the board mating pins. 
     
     
       19. The electrical connector system of  claim 18 , wherein the first bridge terminal is electrically connected to a single board contact and the second bridge terminal is electrically connected to two of the board contacts. 
     
     
       20. The electrical connector system of  claim 18 , wherein the harness mating pin of the first bridge terminal has a first width and the harness mating pin of the second bridge terminal has a second width greater than the first width, the second bridge terminal being configured to convey higher current than the first bridge terminal.